Personal injury settlement after back injury at work

Personal injury specialist solicitors at Leigh Day have recently successfully concluded a case on behalf of Mr al-Hussein who was injured at work in April 2007.

Mr al-Hussein came to us in September 2009, seven months before the deadline when court proceedings had to be issued. He was unsure if he had a valid claim but we advised him that there was indeed a claim based on his former employer’s negligence. The claim was funded by way of a “no win – no fee agreement”.

Our client was injured when his foot became entangled in computer cabling which had been left in the area of his workstation following a change in the layout of the office in which he worked. He sustained a significant back injury which almost three years later, meant that he was in constant and considerable pain and discomfort. In that intervening period, his ability to work a full week was restricted so that by the time our client found himself facing redundancy with a no longer sympathetic employer, he was unable to secure employment. The employer’s insurers finally admitted liability in March 2010, although following service of proceedings, they tried to go back on that admission.

Protective proceedings had to be issued to safeguard our client’s interests. Arrangements were made for Mr al-Hussein to be seen by a specialist spinal surgeon and a schedule of loss was prepared which provided for an ongoing loss of earnings claim as well as future treatment costs.

Rather than embark on protracted litigation the insurance company took a pragmatic approach to try and settle the claim early. Our client also chose to adopt a similar approach. An offer was made and following further negotiations the claim was settled for £85,000 plus costs.